About the Center: "The National Women’s Law Center is a Washington, DC, nonprofit organization working to expand opportunities and eliminate barriers for women and their families, with a major emphasis on women’s health and reproductive rights, education and employment opportunities, and family economic security."

"The Center is calling on supporters to learn more about the health care law and share the I Will NOT Be Denied™ video with their families, friends and neighbors. In coming months, the Center will keep supporters up to date on threats to the law in the courts and in Congress and engage them to protect the ACA (Affordable Care Act). Supporters also can join the conversation on Twitter using the #notdenied hashtag and visit the website, www.IWillNotBeDenied.org."

Executive Summary

Women continue to face unfair and discriminatory practices when obtaining health insurance in the individual market — as well as in the group health insurance market.Women are charged more for health coverage simply because they are women, and individual market health plans often exclude coverage for services that only women need, like maternity care. Furthermore, insurance companies — despite being aware of these discriminatory practices — have not voluntarily taken steps to eliminate the inequities. While some states have outlawed or limited these practices, only when the Affordable Care Act is fully implemented in 2014 will they end nationally.

The National Women’s Law Center’s most recent research shows that:

• Gender rating, the practice of charging women different premiums than men, results in significantly higher rates charged to women throughout the country. In states that have not banned the practice, the vast majority, 92%, of best-selling plans gender rate, for example, charging 40-year-old women more than 40-year-old men for coverage. Only 3% of these plans cover maternity services.